Artist Alex Ross shares his methods

Expect an autograph session with the comic book artist/superstar (and North Shore resident). "I sign for between 300 and 500 people a day. Boom, a new person. Boom, a new person. They're gone in under 30 seconds," Ross says. "It's the most inhumane way of interacting with people. But I have to come to learn if I am signing after a talk, there will be more people in line early for my signature than to hear me talk. I once did a demo painting of Spider-Man on stage, and I painted in real time, using a live model, and attendance was still weak. Now I play my part, as I have come to understand the way people want me."

That said, few comic book artists transcend the profession. OK, none transcend the profession. Expect maybe Ross, who has become known for a unique style — since the early ‘90s, and for publishers such as DC and Marvel, his signature has been a mix of superheroes and photo-realism. Rather than draw, he paints his characters and comic book covers, including Superman and Batman, using live models. The result is an oddly tactile appearance for unreal subjects. His latest book, "Rough Justice: The DC Comics Sketches of Alex Ross" (Pantheon), is a look at early stages of the process.

Q: What are you working on?

A: The cover for this comic "Black Terror," which is the name of a character as old as Superman and just been resurrected. I'm also working on a cover for "The Phantom" and for an issue "The Green Hornet" that Kevin Smith is writing.

Q: You often draw from live models. Is it hard to find people who look like superheroes?

A: Occasionally now I transpose heads and things from other sources. I don't see as many models as I used to — mainly because, from cover to cover, there's not much reason to. But earlier, these people I worked with at Leo Burnett (the Chicago-based advertising agency) were my models for Superman and Batman, and one went to the American Academy of Art with me, so maybe those places are magnets for muscular, hero-looking guys.

Q: So our nation's obesity epidemic hasn't slowed you down?

A: Not really, no. I would often use loose-fitting costumes to replicate the look of a character anyway, and sometimes you can have too much reality. When I came into this business, artists were drawing every little muscle, and I wanted to show what reality would do. Costumes are made of fabric and thread. But a lot of my process is bending and pushing people to fit a mold. It becomes an exaggeration of the source — and remember, nobody's perfect.